March is National Quilting Month

Are you celebrating National Quilting Month with a quilt of your own? At the Kalamazoo Sewing Center we are celebrating with quilting classes and special deals to make this the most fun National Quilting Month of all. Here are just a few of the fun events we have planned:

• Garden Patch Cats Block--- March 20th 1:00 to 4:00
• Mini Quilt Show --- March 26th 1:00 

For a complete list of classes be sure to visit our website at http://www.kalamazoosews.com.


What are your favorite resources on the web for quilting information and patterns? We found these websites:

• quilting at about.com---a wonderful resource of some really unique patterns, much of them free. I really like the bug jars---wouldn't that be nice for a lovely quilt for a summertime picnic.
•  Piece n Quilt---a blog written and maintained by a fellow quilter. Wow---I can only aspire to some of her creations! Simply gorgeous.
• RK Quilts--- If you're a fan of Robert Kaufman's fabrics and even if your not---there's a sampling of free patterns and other quilting helpers on this site.
• Scrap Quilts ---Another resource for patterns.

There are even some Smartphone Apps for quilting---Robert Kaufman has one out---it's currently free and comes in both Android and iPhone versions.

And no blog about quilting would be complete without some pictures of our star quilter's projects. If you'd like to be included please post a picture of your quilting project to our Facebook page or email it to us and we'll be happy to post it for you. We're excited about National Quilting Month and hope that you join us in making sewing exciting and fun and passing the skill and excitement on to others.

  So creative. So fun. Come join us!

Tip of the Week

The other day a sewing enthusiast dropped by the sewing center looking for answers. She had recently retired and was finally enjoying her sewing machine that had spent many a long year in a dark closet of her home. This lady was making doll clothes for her granddaughters.  She just wasn't happy with the results. She blamed the less than optimal results on herself and her rusty sewing skills.

After listening to the reasons the clothes were not quite right we started researching the potential problems. One stood out among the rest---fabric. Whether you quilt, decorate your home, or sew fashions, one thing you need to watch out for is fabric grain.

Fabric grain that is off will result in crooked garments, garments that start out relatively straight but then become disheveled upon washing, home furnishings, and, yes, even doll clothes that don't hang or drape correctly.

Woven fabrics have a lengthwise grain running along the selvage edge. And fabrics have crosswise grain running along the cut edge of the fabric as it comes off of the bolt. Then there's a bias----that's crosswise across both the grains.

So what does this all have to do with the crooked clothes? Well, fabric has the least stretch along the lengthwise grain, a little more stretch on the crosswise grain, and along the bias---well unless you want a curvature effect you want to stay away from the super stretch of the bias.

In addition, the grain on fabrics aren't always straight right off the bolt. You'll know if you have a crooked grain if you join the selvages and the fold doesn't lay straight. Sometimes you can fix the grain---sometimes you can't. Grains that are crooked on fabrics with printed on stripes or plaids can't usually be fixed. You'll know if your fabric is printed if the wrong side of the fabric doesn't match the rightside---if it does, the fabric was woven with colored threads instead of printed after weaving.

So how do you fix?

•   Wash and press your fabric. Fold so that selvages are together and stretch on the bias. If that does the trick the fold will become straight and neat when the selvages are together.
• Cut through the selvage and pull a crosswise thread all the way through from selvage to selvage adjusting the fabric as you pull the thread. You can then cut along the trail that your missing thread has made in the fabric and you will have a squared, crosswise grain. (I've had the best luck with this method.)
• You can simply cut through the selvage and rip tear the fabric. The fabric will tear along the crossgrain, giving you a nice squared grain.

Again, nothing much will help a fabric that has printed on stripes or clear diagonal lines---you'll have to catch this type of problem at point of purchase and not purchase faulty fabric no matter how much you fall in love with it.

So before you start your next project take a look at that fabric and make sure its grain is straight and your masterpiece will be a masterpiece.

Tip of the Week

Curious about the different types of sewing machine needles and why you would ever step past that package of assorted size Universals?

Here are the top needles and the particulars on why and how they make different jobs easier, more efficient, and give better, professional results:

• Universal needles---the good old stand by. For general purpose sewing these guys are great. Different sizes handle different weights of fabric.These are the needles that handle most sewing jobs but for special situations, when the stitches don't exactly turn out as planned read on.
• Topstitch needle---Did you ever need to thread heavier thread into your machine, whether for decorative topstitching or a speciality, heavy seam. The Topstitch needle has a big eye for that big thread---making it easier to use for this kind of project than that trusty Universal.
• Embroidery needles are used for that delicate embroidery work. Embroidery threads can be more delicate than all purpose thread. To protect your embroidery thread and project the Embroidery needle has a special scarf (the part of the needle that interacts with the bobbin to form the stitch), a bigger eye, and a rounded point.
• Denim needle---while that heavy duty Universal may work just fine for some projects, you may want to include a package of Denim needles in your sewing supplies. Denim needles are super sharp to go through those heavy fabrics---canvas too. A Denim needle simply won't be shoved aside by heavy fibers!
• Quilting needles---sure you can quilt with a heavier Universal, but for some real help for both you and your machine, try a quilting needle. A quilting needle, with it's specially shaped point and ballpoint will absolutely glide through all those layers---even if you decide on a 10 layer quilt.
•  Stretch needle---if you have one kind of  needle besides your Universal/Embroidery needles , grab a package of stretch needles. Stretch fabrics need special handling for good results. These needles have a special scarf that grabs on and eliminates pesky missed stitches. Stretch needles can help out in a pinch with both genuine and synthetic leathers too.
• Ballpoint needles handle specialty knits with ease. With their special ball points they stitch through those knits without snagging the fabric; keeping the stitches and fabric beautiful.
• Leather needles are the best for leathers. Super sharp ---they were made just for this job.

Still curious? There are many great resources on the internet to answer any sewing question that may be needling you. Here are just a few:

• Husqvarna's Accessory Guide
• About. com's Sewing Parts of a needle
• Singer Sewing's Scoop on needles 

Tip of the Week

Planning to complete that first quilt? Wondering about thread?

Depending on your particular project you'll want to take the following items under consideration as you select your thread for your heirloom quilt.

• What Color is usually a question asked by quilters and the answer is ---it depends. For the piecing a color matching the darker blocks maybe what you need. For quilting, if the quilting is the part of the project that you want to pop then use a contrasting thread. For beginning quilters a matching thread that blends stitches into the background may be called for. Whatever color you select do a sample before you apply to your entire quilt to make sure you are getting the affect that you want to achieve.
• Quilting and Piecing Thread or is All Purpose all right to use? Quilting and Piecing Thread is specifically designed to be used in quilting. Using a fine piecing thread can help keep your piecing seam accurate---the finer the thread the easier you'll find it to keep accurate. A cotton thread of size 50 is recommended by expert Debra Wagner in her book Teach Yourself Machine Piecing & Quilting.    

Be sure to make a sample run of your project. Adjust tension, if necessary.And make sure your creation is exactly you.
     

Tip of the Week

Only 18 more sewing days to go! Need some inspiration for decorations and last minute gifts?

Point your browser over to these sites for patterns and designs.

And for your sewing supplies come see us with that Friends and Family coupon today for some real savings.

• Viking/Husqvarna
• Singer Sewing
• Coats and Clark
• Embroidery.com    

Tip of the Week

One of the challenges that beginning quilters face are those 1/4 inch seams---there isn't a whole lot of room for error.  And if the seams aren't straight and exact it can throw off the whole quilt making it difficult or nearly impossible to piece; with crooked results.

Never fear though---help is available no matter what machine you own. For those who have Husqvarna/ Viking machines---Designer Diamond, Rubys, Sapphires, and the Emerald 203 simply be sure to choose the 1/4 inch stitch and use your A or B foot.

If you have a machine that doesn't have the special 1/4 inch stitch, pay the Sewing Center a visit and pick up a 1/4 inch or Quilting foot accessory for your particular machine. They come in metal or see through plastic and will help keep those stitches at a quarter of an inch and your quilt even and accurate for a more professional result.            

Tip of the Week

Today there are needles for all different sewing projects. Using the right needle for the job will make sewing easier and you'll get much better results.

For general all purpose sewing, the first thing you need to look at is the type of fabric you are going to sew. What weight is the fabric?

Needles have numbers and there are two types of numbering systems; American and European. The higher the number the heavier the fabric. A great chart comparing the two variations of  numbers can be found here.

What type of project are you working on? Use embroidery needles, stretch needles for stretchy fabrics, needles for leathers, microtex or sharp needles for synthetic leathers, denim needles, topstitching needles, and self threading/handicapped needles. There are quilting needles, and needles for heirloom sewing, and free motion sewing. And finally, there are twin needles and even triple needles for decorative and precise rows of topstitching.

All these needles have special features that perform the job professionally with ease.

Using the incorrect needle can cause problems such as skipped stitches, breaking or bending of the needle, or snagging and creating large holes in your fabric.

A more detailed online article regarding needles and needle usage can be found here.

And we're always here to help at the Kalamazoo Sewing Center. If you need assistance or advice, pack up your thread and fabric and come see us. We'll find the needle that you need for your project.